No longer a matter of debate

September 19, 2012

The process of scientific discovery involves a multi-tiered process to assure the integrity of scientific conclusions. In the first step of modern scientific methodology, scientists collect and analyze data, form a thesis, perform studies to validate or disprove the thesis, and publish a conclusion that is supported by empirical data.

In the second step, other scientists review the data as peers, replicate experimentation and data if possible, and publish their conclusion that either supports or challenges the first conclusion. In the third step, established institutions of scientific academia review the published results of the former scientists, and either support or challenge their results by process of academic peer review. This process of measurement, conclusion, replication and peer review assures that all human, political, and social bias are removed from the process of scientific discovery, thus assuring the validity of published conclusions of scientific processes.

By this process of modern scientific discovery, it is now a valid scientific conclusion that the consumption of fluoridated drinking water causes physiological harm to humans. Hundreds of experiments have been performed over the past several decades, which conclude, and replicate the conclusion that fluoride acts as a neurotoxin and endocrine system disrupter when ingested. In July 2012, the second major body of academic scientific peer review has validated this conclusion when Harvard University published their supporting conclusions in the U.S. Federal Government publication, Environmental Health Perspectives, a U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' journal.

With the publication of this article of academic peer review, the issue of whether or not the consumption of fluoride is harmful to human physiology is no longer a matter of debate. It is instead now a published, replicated, and peer reviewed scientific fact that fluoride consumption is harmful to human physiology.

Since there is no scientific data that supports fluoride consumption as being safe, fluoride supporters are left with only the argument that "government, and government dependent organizations say that fluoride consumption is safe, so therefore it must be, and you are crazy if you question them." This is the same argument that their ideological peers made in the Dark Ages just before they stretched you out on the rack for daring to claim that the earth is round and it orbits around the sun.

For those GPIWA members who are convinced that the earth is indeed round, and that the internal consumption of a fluoride compound that is only produced as a chemical commodity industrial waste by-product is harmful just as the scientists have told us, I urge their attendance of the next meeting of the Greater Pine Island Water Association on Sept. 25 at 3 p.m. I further urge everyone to leave their torches, pitch-forks, tar and feathers at home, and come to the meeting prepared to address this issue in a civil manner. Please bear in mind that once this issue is resolved, we will still be Islanders and neighbors.